Translated by XephiZ

Edited by Aelryinth

The words were clearly a deadly blow to Qi Shan. He believed he no longer had a chance of redeeming himself, regardless of how reluctant he was to believe it.

He went downstairs in low spirits.

Mo Fan observed Qi Shan's back. He could not help but think how similarly he would react if he was still a young man.

As a matter of fact, Mu Ningxue was just like Mui Nuxin. A person's charm was not necessarily the most attractive thing to them, considering the environment they had grown up in. They had to think about the person's background, achievements, and the opportunities the man could bring to them. If being with the man was no different than being alone, what was the meaning of doing so? They had to think about their clan. How could they possibly forsake their close ones for a useless man?

That being said, the thing about Mui Ningxue that Mo Fan liked was how she did not give anyone false hope with her iciness. Mui Nuxin was the complete opposite. She was used to showing signals to those she admired. Her way of showing her admiration with her eyes when she misunderstood Mo Fan to be Bai Hongfei was completely different from Mui Nujiao's sincere and polite demeanor at all times.

Women were indeed a very complicated species...

"I'm sorry this is happening," Mui Nuxin said to Mo Fan and Zhao Manyan in an apologetic tone.

"Don't worry about it, we are just dropping by anyway. By the way, I am..." Mo Fan said with a smile.

Mo Fan was just about to reintroduce himself when Mui Nujiao suddenly pinched him in the waist. The pain forced him to swallow his words.

Mo Fan was utterly dumbfounded. He turned around and saw Mui Nujiao glaring at him. She muttered with a voice that only Mo Fan could hear, "You are Bai Hongfei now!"

"..." Mo Fan smiled wryly. Why did he have to be that idiot now?

"I'm Zhao Xiaotian, I'm Bai Hongfei's friend, Dongfang Lie's schoolmate. We came to look for him, but he invited us over to witness this wonderful marriage," Zhao Manyan was well aware of the situation, and introduced himself calmly.

Mui Nujiao giggled when she saw how Zhao Manyan was able to take on his role so quickly, as expected of Mo Fan's friend with bad influence.

"You're absolutely welcome here. The elders are in the main hall. Feel free to chat with sister and me here. We'll head over after they are done… would you like some coffee or tea?" Mu Nuxin asked.

"Coffee."

"Tea."

Mo Fan and Zhao Manyan exchanged glances with one another, with no intention of compromising.

Mui Nuxin laughed lightly in a soothing voice. She rose to her feet and said, "I'll fix both of them."

"Thanks."

"I've found myself a wife by just coming here. Jiaojiao, I should have paid a visit to your clan earlier!" Mo Fan raised his brows with a smirk.

"She's just using it as an example; stop taking it so seriously!" Mui Nujiao rolled her eyes.

"It doesn't seem that way! Mo Fan, why don't you spill the bean when she comes back later. I can't wait to see how mad Dongfang Lie is going to be!" Zhao Manyan was laughing so hard that he was panting heavily, trying to catch his breath.

"Don't you dare!" Mui Nujiao warned fiercely.

"I'm not really interested in Mui Nuxin, but I wonder what the other gorgeous daughter of the Mui Clan thinks. If it's the same for her, I don't mind telling the truth," Mo Fan said with a smile.

"Someone is going to drive you out of the house!" Mui Nujiao warned him.

"Seriously, why am I forced to witness the public displays of affection between you two?" Zhao Manyan slapped his forehead with a displeased look.

Mui Nujiao did not dare to continue the topic. She felt a little unnatural. Luckily, Mui Nuxin had returned. She had gladly brewed both coffee and tea for Mo Fan and Zhao Manyan.

"How has your sister been?" Mui Nuxin asked.

"Oh, she's doing great," Mo Fan said indifferently.

Zhao Manyan had already warned Mo Fan that Bai Hongfei's sister was Bai Tingting. She had gone overseas for a long time. It had been years since Mo Fan and Zhao Manyan last saw her.

Mo Fan had just learned that Bai Hongfei was Bai Tingting's brother...

"By the way, Mo… Bai Hongfei has been trying to look for a suitable Soul-grade Fire Seed. Nuxin, I heard that Li Xi and the others have found a fire mountain range in Kunlun Mountain's Sun Ridge recently. Are there any Soul-grade Fire Seeds that the clan is thinking of selling?" Mui Nujiao asked as she recalled something.

Mui Nuxin was in charge of the clan's business. Things like this would normally require her approval.

"Kunlun Mountain… your clan's business extends pretty far!" Mo Fan exclaimed.

"The Mu Clan (Mu Ningxue's old clan) and the Zhao Family have monopolized almost every valuable and rare resource in the East, thus other renowned clans like us have no choice but to find another way to secure more resources from dangerous places. The fire vein in Kunlun Mountain's Sun Ridge is not necessarily a secret anymore. It does belong to our Mu Clan, but we haven't really started mining it," Mui Nuxin told them.

"We haven't started? Isn't now the time that Spirit-grade Seeds and Soul-grade Seeds are needed the most? We are supposed to be mining the fire vein in Sun Ridge already, why haven't we made any progress after so long?" Mui Nujiao asked, confused.

The Kunlun Mountain's Sun Ridge was the best chance for their Mui Clan to improve its financial status. Mui Nujiao might not interfere with the clan's business, but she would still hear a thing or two about the clan's situation. They had lost a lot of businesses in Hai'an County because of the rising sea. Many renowned clans in the country were currently in a pinch. There were quite a few that had gone bankrupt, too.

The Mui Clan had been trying its best to find a new source of income. The fire vein in Kunlun Mountain's Sun Ridge was obviously the best chance for them. The Mui Clan was working together with the military; if their clan could provide the military with abundant resources of the Fire Element, it would allow the Mui Clan to resolve the financial crisis earlier than the other renowned clans, potentially allowing them to become the most dominant clan in the country!

As such, Mui Nujiao found it difficult to believe that they had yet to make any progress. "Have you encountered some problems?" she asked.

The only explanation she could think of was the Sun Ridge of Kunlun Mountain was harder to excavate than the clan had first imagined.

"Yes..." Mui Nuxin nodded.

Mui Nujiao fell into deep thought. She looked in the direction of the main hall and suddenly realized something. She said softly, "So that's the reason you've chosen the Dongfang Clan?"

"Sister!" Mui Nuxin blurted out.

Mui Nujiao realized there were outsiders among them. It was inappropriate to discuss it now, especially when Mo Fan was pretending to be Bai Hongfei. The Bai Clan was one of their biggest competitors in the Magic City.

"I don't really mess with my clan's business, so don't worry about me. I'm currently focusing on improving my cultivation." Mo Fan was pretty smart too, taking the initiative to explain himself.

Mo Fan had met Bai Hongfei before. He was only interested in becoming stronger. He did not really care about the matters of his clan.

"I'm feeling fine with Dongfang Lie; he's putting a lot of attention on improving his cultivation too, while I prefer to manage the clan's business. I believe we'll do just fine," Mui Nuxin said.

"I just think his mind doesn't spin that quickly," Mo Fan spoke up.

Mui Nuxin giggled and replied, "Isn't that even better? I'm a stubborn person. If he's not a quick thinker, I can make most of the decisions myself."

Mo Fan gasped in disbelief. He did not expect Mui Nuxin to reveal her intentions so blatantly. She was basically saying that she was planning to use Dongfang Lie to control the Dongfang Clan!

"Can you tell us the problem that's bothering you?" Mo Fan asked.

A fire vein had been discovered in Kunlun Mountain's Sun Ridge. The fire vein could help a magic clan prosper greatly. The fire vein might be a sacred land of fire. He was in need of a Soul-grade Fire Seed, so there was a great chance that he could find a Soul-grade Fire Seed he needed in the natural fire vein that had yet to be excavated.

Mo Fan had read a lot when he was at the Parthenon Temple. He learned that some of the Soul-grade Fire Seeds that were serving as the natural sources of fire of a place were like infants. It was possible to carve them to give them certain Domains, effects, and powers. It was possible to modify the Soul-grade Seed's attributes before they came into contact with the outside environment!

These Soul-grade Seeds that had yet to take shape were called the Primitive Soul-grade Seeds!

Mo Fan had been using the Rose Flame for a long time; it was not because he could not afford a new one or he did not bother spending the time to look for a new Soul-grade Fire Seed, but because the Soul-grade Seed he needed had to be compatible with Little Flame Belle...

First, Little Flame Belle had to be able to accept the Soul-grade Seed. Mo Fan only had to consider the Calamity Fire's nature, but he had to consider the Ardent Sunset's attributes, too. If the new Soul-grade Seed turned out to be a b**ch, and the other two Soul-grade Flames were not too fond of it, how was Mo Fan going to utilize its full potential?

Second, the Soul-grade Fire Seed had to be quite impressive. Both the Calamity Fire and Ardent Sunset were above average. If he bought a Soul-grade Fire Seed that was weaker than them, what was the point of getting a new Soul-grade Seed? Both the Calamity Fire and Ardent Sunset were flames that greatly improved his control over the Fire Element, allowing his Fire Spells to take different forms...

It was already difficult to find an impressive Soul-grade Fire Seed, not to mention how expensive it was. It was even more difficult to find one if he had to take its compatibility into account!

Therefore, Mo Fan had actually thought of looking for a Primitive Soul-grade Seed, but it was only possible to find one in a fire vein. A fire vein was even rarer than a burning mountain in a desert! It was unlikely that he could find one without a lot of connections...

To Mo Fan's surprise, he had stumbled into the fellowship between the Mui Clan and the Dongfang Clan when he came looking for Dongfang Lie, and the two clans were planning to mine a huge fire vein!

A fire vein of such scale would most likely have a Primitive Soul-grade Seed. He just needed to merge the Primitive Soul-grade Seed with his soul, and let the Calamity Fire and the Ardent Sunset refine it slowly. He believed it would grant the Primitive Soul-grade Seed the most perfect Domain and effects he could hope for!

It was the exact Soul-grade Seed that Mo Fan had been looking for!